A newbies journey to acceptance and dealing with his disease

A Diabetes journal: A newbies journey to acceptance and control of this disease

Through April 2011:

First let me say that I have always been an overweight person. At least what is traditionally described as “overweight.” My doctors (I’ve had 4 different regular doctors in the last 20 years) all have rigorously tested my blood sugar levels, my cholesterol, my blood pressure, my heart. All registered in the normal range and my heart has been strong. At the gym, I can out cardio most of the really “fit” guys and could hold my own on the weights.

However, last fall I turned 50.

In November I started to get what seemed like a cold. It lasted through the holidays and into January. In mid-January, I went to a walk-in clinic (A no appointment necessary, open to everyone, we take-em as they come medical facility) to have it checked out. After a 30 second consult, the doctor diagnosed me with a cold and sent me packing.

The “cold” continued. During this time, I was often a little out of it, like I had a thick head and it began to affect my work. I was tired and exhausted all the time. Light headed from time to time. And just generally felt like crap. My eyesight was fluctuating as well. On some days my distance vision was crap, on others it was my close up vision.

In March, I bit the bullet and made an appointment with my actual doctor. This process usually takes weeks to get in to see him, so for a cold, it’s not worth since the cold will be gone by the time you get in. Anyway, my appointment was less than a week wait. I made the appointment on Wednesday and saw him Friday.

We spent 30 plus minutes reviewing symptoms, ordered blood screening and a few other tests and we made an appointment for the following week, to follow up on the tests and do a full physical.

After a week for the physical and the test results, the physical was fine, heart and blood pressure normal (well BP on the high end of normal but ok) but the tests revealed something. It turns out my blood sugar was very high.
n Canada blood sugar is measured in MMol (millimoles per litre) and a normal range is 4-6, after fasting.or before eating. My reading came in at 9.2.

However, not to panic, this could be an anomalous reading. “Is there any history of diabetes in your family?” my doctor asks. Well the list of who isn’t might be shorter. Well it would in most families but not mine (breed like rabbits they do). But grandparents, aunts, uncles, at least one of my brothers are all or were before they died, diabetic.

So this raises additional flags and it’s back for more blood work. This time the results are high, certainly not dangerously high – he never actually gave me a number this time – but worthy of concern.

And so it’s off to Diabetes school to learn all about my disease and how to live with it, eat with it and exercise with it.

In the meantime, we’re trying to treat it with diet and exercise – so the school might help.

June 23-30th

The Diabetes Clinic was actually very helpful. During my time between my diagnosis and the school, I began to do research on Diabetes, and found various coupons to get the readers free when you purchase the test strips. I took advantage of one of them and came home and began testing. No one had instructed me yet on when or how to test. Or even what the numbers mean.

But test I did. My first test read "HI" and I wondered what H-one meant. I read through the book and no mention was made of H-one. Every test after that came down, these tests were spaced over days. Until just before my class began, I was testing at 16.0 still very high. By this time I had figured out that H-one was in HI or High - over the devices ability to report.

In the Clinic we met with a nurse, to explain what diabetes is, a dietitian to show us all how to eat and what to eat and even when to eat it. A physio-therapist to show us how and when to exercise. We also met with a social worker to help us all come to terms with our disease. And finally, the nurse again, to teach all how to test and how to read our meters.

On that day, I tested at 21.0. For lunch I had had a chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat and a bowl of Italian wedding soup (with pasta balls). Thought I was being healthy. Turns out not so much.

I revisited the clinic the following week to follow up with the dietitian, the physio-therapist to review my exercise habits and a nurse. The nurse was all doom and gloom. You should be on cholesterol meds (my cholesterol is still high-normal), you should be BP meds (again high-normal) and of course, diabetes meds.

The dietitian reviewed my changed diet (I kept a food log) and admitted that I'm doing a fantastic job with the new diet plan but that I need more carbs per day. I was keeping my carbs to around 90 grams per day (about 30 per meal) but she felt I should have a minimum of 130 per day. Just add a snack or two, she said.

The physio-therapist gave me some very good tips.

However, my numbers are still high, routinely in the 12-14 range. I am going for a full blood screen in 2 weeks and will see my doctor immediately afterward. If my numbers are still high, I will definitely go on meds. Before any damage being done becomes permanent.